The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has warned of strong trade union action after talks with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya ended without resolving the ongoing crisis in the state university system.

FUTA Vice President Prof. Aruna Vanninayake said the association is currently consulting members on further union action, following demonstrations held outside university premises last week. 

He stressed that persistent difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified academics continue to undermine the system.

The meeting with the Prime Minister took place on Wednesday at the Education Ministry in Battaramulla, where FUTA representatives raised concerns over delayed student admissions, extended study periods, and the shortage of academic staff.

FUTA Secretary Charudatta Ilangasinghe said no agreements were reached, accusing the government of showing little interest in addressing the issues.

FUTA President Prof. Ruchika Fernando added that despite earlier agreements with the President and proposals submitted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Committee of Vice Chancellors to expedite admissions, the proposals had still not reached the Presidential Secretariat.

Prof. Fernando expressed surprise that such critical proposals had not been acted upon, noting that FUTA has been waiting nearly a year for government action. 

The association has signaled that unless urgent steps are taken, it will escalate its campaign with tougher trade union measures. (Newswire)

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The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) says that discussions held yesterday evening with Prime Minister and Education Minister Harini Amarasuriya failed to produce any solution to the deepening crisis in the university system.

The meeting took place at the Ministry of Education in Battaramulla, and focused on issues such as student admissions, the shortage of lecturers, and the extended time students spend within universities.

FUTA President Ruchika Fernando told reporters after the talks that his association understood student admissions would have to be postponed for a considerable period. 

He noted that despite earlier agreements reached with the President and proposals submitted by the University Grants Commission and the Committee of Vice Chancellors to expedite admissions, the Prime Minister informed them yesterday that the proposals had not yet reached the Presidential Secretariat.

“We were surprised. Such an important matter, which we have been waiting on for about a year, has still not reached the relevant place,” he said.

FUTA Secretary Senior Lecturer Charudatta Ilangasinghe added that lecturers from across the country had gathered for the discussion, which continued until 10 pm, underscoring the urgency of resolving the crisis. 

He accused the government of lacking interest in education, saying: “These kinds of discussions are like searching for thorns in a haystack. The government cannot talk about education because it has no interest. We will definitely decide on future actions.”

FUTA has warned that unless urgent steps are taken, student admissions will face further delays, exacerbating the strain on the higher education system. (Newswire)

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The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) announced that university lecturers will launch a one‑day strike tomorrow (09) in protest against what they describe as a deepening crisis in the state university system.

FUTA Secretary, Charudatta Ilangasinghe, said the association had already engaged in trade union action throughout last week to highlight the severity of the situation. 

He pointed to a shortage of lecturers and lack of qualified staff, warning that the issue has reached a point where students who sat for the 2025 Advanced Level examination cannot be admitted to state universities.

Ilangasinghe noted that while the President has pledged to establish 50 new state universities, the immediate priority should be to safeguard the quality of the 17 existing institutions before expanding further.

He added that FUTA is prepared to hold discussions with authorities but stressed that a stable and lasting solution is urgently required to protect the integrity of higher education in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has warned that university lecturers may reconsider their continued services to the education sector if the government fails to suspend and amend the newly issued Grade One admission circular.

Addressing the media, FUTA Media Spokesman Charudaththe Illangasinghe said the circular introduces conditions requiring professors involved in the formulation of state examination papers and evaluation of answer scripts to disclose this information to schools. 

He stressed that such identities are kept strictly confidential, even among lecturers themselves, and warned that forcing disclosure would compromise the secrecy and integrity of national examinations.

Illangasinghe noted that the move effectively restricts the admission of children of university lecturers, creating serious concerns within the academic community. 

FUTA has written to the President urging immediate suspension of the circular and correction of the criteria before re‑issuing it.

“If this is not done, we are holding discussions on whether university lecturers should continue their services to the education sector. We will be able to inform our decision within a week if the President does not intervene,” Illangasinghe said. (Newswire)

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Lecturers from state universities islandwide have planned a symbolic strike today (30), over several key demands.

The strike has been planned, highlighting key demands, including salary inequality and a shortage of academic staff.

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Secretary, Senior Lecturer Charudaththe Ilangasinghe, said that even though it has been a year since the government came into power, there has still been no resolution to the ongoing crises affecting state universities.

Speaking at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday, he warned that these issues pose a serious risk to the continuity of academic activities, including examinations. (Newswire)

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Several protests are planned to be held by representatives of the health and education sectors of Sri Lanka today (Nov 02).

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) said a provincial-level strike action covering all state hospitals will commence from today. 

GMOA spokesman Dr. Chamil WIjesinghe said as the first step, a 24-hour token strike will be launched at hospitals in the Uva Province from 08.00 am.

He further said the strike is being held to protest the government’s failure to retain doctors in the country in a bid to mitigate the collapse of the health system.

Meanwhile, all 17 state universities across Sri Lanka will launch a token strike today (Nov 02).

The token strike is being held based on a decision taken by the State Service Trade Unions Alliance and the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) during a discussion held yesterday.

The strike has been organized over several matters, including salary anomalies and the slashing of funds granted to the state universities. (NewsWire)

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The Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) has decided to engage in the evaluation of the 2022 G.C.E Advanced Level (A/L) examination answer scripts.

FUTA stated that its members will engage in the evaluation of the G.C.E A/L examination answer scripts from today.

Members of FUTA had boycotted the evaluation of the said examination answer scripts to protest the government’s new tax policies.  

Earlier, FUTA members had also refrained from engaging in academic activities at state universities as part of their protest. (NewsWire)

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University Teachers have agreed to recommence academic activities from the 17th of April 2023, the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) announced today. 

The decision was announced after FUTA called off its temporary strike action. 

FUTA had engaged in strike action to protest the government’s new tax policies. (NewsWire)

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